


One to Talk

by boxparade



Series: Transformative [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, Past Relationship(s), Pre-Slash, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:17:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3996952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxparade/pseuds/boxparade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Daniel. What a lovely surprise,” Rachel says in a voice that lets Danny know exactly how not-lovely it actually is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One to Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Second installment is here. :) I just put together a solid order for the first 12 fics I'm planning to include in this verse, so I'm feeling pretty good about writing them out. And no worries, things get more interesting the further we go.
> 
> As always, don't be a dick in the comments and I won't have to post disclaimers.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

“Daniel. What a lovely surprise,” Rachel says in a voice that lets Danny know exactly how not-lovely it actually is.

“Hello, dear,” Danny smiles with tight lips.

Rachel’s eyes move from inspecting Danny to sweeping up and down Steve behind him, all six feet two inches of him, all of which Rachel looks like she’d like to devour. She’d always told Danny that his height had never bothered her, but that was a bald-faced lie and they both knew it.

“Pleasure to meet you, Rachel,” Steve offers her his hand.

Rachel gives Steve her best firm grip and smiles with sharpened teeth. “Really. The pleasure’s all mine.”

Danny rolls his eyes and pushes his way through the doorway, ignoring Rachel’s half-hearted protests. He heads toward the East end of the house, into the kitchen, trying to scope out the view through the windows from this level.

Rachel follows quickly after, Steve trailing behind her. “Grace is at school, Daniel. I should think you would know that.”

“What, no expensive mid-week vacation in Maui with Stan this week?” Danny snipes back, pulling the curtain shut and moving on to the dining room, or the ‘parlor’, or wherever it was Rachel had all her rich friends over for expensive wine tasting and scraps of unpronounceable French appetizers.

“No,” Rachel says, still following him through the rooms, heels clicking faintly with each of her steps. “That was a special occasion. And Stan is out of town on business at the moment. I would remind you that you are currently trespassing in my home, so perhaps you should stop making sleights at my character and explain what you’re doing here.”

Steve steps in before Danny can say anything, which is probably for the best. “Your next door neighbors are planning to pull a heist. We need a stakeout location.”

What he lacks in tact he makes up for with such a sheer lack of tact that it bowls Rachel over with shock.

“The neighbors?” She asks, and Danny can picture the tiny crease between her perfectly trimmed eyebrows. “But they’re _renters_.”

Danny snorts. Rachel ignores him. Steve clears his throat awkwardly.

This is shaping up to be a delightful afternoon.

“I’m going upstairs,” Danny says, taking off for the stairs without hearing Rachel’s huffs of displeasure at being steamrolled. “Steve, bring the equipment.”

“Sorry, Rachel,” Steve offers to Rachel before making his way back out to the car.

Rachel waits until he’s out the door to say “Yes, Steve, fetch. Roll over. Good boy.”

“I’m gonna tell him you said that!” Danny calls over his shoulder, rounding the corner at the top of the stairs and trying to navigate this oversized hunk of drywall.

Three hours and sixty thousand dollars worth of recording equipment later, they’ve got nothing except full bladders from the five rounds of tea Rachel’s offered them. ‘Offered’ being the polite wording for ‘shoved at them while tapping her foot expectantly.’

It doesn’t help that Danny feels like he’s run a mile from trying to keep Rachel and Steve from being alone together. Not because Danny thinks Rachel would be stupid enough to make a move on Steve right now, but because he wouldn’t put it past her to tell Steve more than she has any right to tell anyone.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t exactly been considering what would happen if he and Rachel were left alone together, which is an entirely different scene and not exactly preferable. But Steve insists on following the third guy on what’s most likely another health food grocery trip, and Danny is left sitting awkwardly in the middle of Rachel and Stan’s master bedroom, watching a couple of human-shaped orange blobs pedal away at stationary bikes for six hours.

“So, Daniel—”

“Do not. Not a word. You no longer have any right to tell me how to live my life. I’m pretty sure I made you sign a clause in the divorce.”

Rachel arches an eyebrow and puts her hands on her hips. “You haven’t told him.”

Danny tosses his hands up in defeat. “Why do I bother?”

“Honestly, Daniel, this isn’t healthy.”

“I’d rather die an early death, thanks.”

“I thought we worked through the issues with the counselo—”

“Ah! Ah ah ah, no. This is why we got divorced, Rachel, do you remember? Or has your mind slipped in your old age?”

“Please do try to be civil,” Rachel sneers, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling in a mannerism Danny is fairly sure Rachel picked up from him and then never managed to shake. “You need to tell him.”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll go over great. He’s a Navy SEAL. He eats, sleeps, and breathes American masculinity.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I would be pretty surprised when he kicks my ass, but it’s never gonna get to that point. Because I’m not going to tell him and you’re not going to tell him because this is not your secret to tell.”

“Jesus, Daniel, I thought you were emotionally repressed when we were married, but by God, you’ve right fucked yourself since then.”

“Oh, what, and analyzing every single emotion like a psychologist is that much bette—”

“I’m not a bloody psychologist, I just think it’s better that our daughter grow up knowing she can express herself with us so that she doesn’t wind up—” Rachel snaps her mouth shut, but Danny’s right there with her.

“Like me. So she doesn’t wind up like me. Because this was definitely a result of my poor upbringing and not because a couple wires got crossed and I wound up in the wrong body.”

“You are well aware that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t care what you meant, I’ve got a thick skin. What I care about is what kind of shit you’re telling our daughter about her father when I’m not—”

“I would never! I’m appalled you think I would even consider—”

“It’s not all that shocking considering what else you’ve been considering.”

“I’m not going to bloody tell him!” Rachel throws her arm out, catching her own vase and sending it crashing to the floor. Neither of them so much as flinch. She can probably buy another one just like it. “Honestly, Daniel, have you forgotten the kind of legal work I was doing when we met? I devoted eight years of my life to the transgender community, I’m not some blinkered prat trying to oppress you, I’m your ex-wife and I’m trying to make bloody sure you’re happy!”

Danny catches his breath, stunned into silence, finally dropping any pretense of watching the tapes from next door and staring blankly at Rachel.

Rachel sighs, but her features go soft, and Danny catches the briefest glimpse of the Rachel he married.

“Come now, you know I’ve only ever wanted the best for you.”

“Kind of hard to remember that when you’re trying to take my daughter away from me,” Danny grumbles, but the fight’s gone out of him.

“I’ll admit, I’ve made my mistakes. I’m human. I can be petty. But forgive me for wanting to see you happy for once in your life, since I sure as bloody hell never made you.”

“You gave me Grace.”

“Oh, please. You gave yourself Grace. I was simply along for the ride.”

Danny can’t exactly fight her on that. He picks up the untouched teacup Rachel had brought for them nearly and hour ago and takes a sip, wincing as he does. It’s gone cold and bitter. Danny fumbles the teacup back onto the table and shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks, rocking back and forth on his heels and sparing a few glances for the cameras and infrared. They’re still empty.

“All I’m saying is that I wish you’d consider being more open about this part of yourself. If not Steven, then someone else. Grace and I can’t be your only confidants. Especially considering you’d never trouble Grace with your problems and you’d rather scream at me through the intercom about cancelled appointments than tell me anything substantial.”

Danny huffs out a laugh and shrugs. She’s not wrong. And he can’t believe he just thought that.

“Besides, I’m dying to share your pregnancy photos with someone, they’re simply wonderful.”

Danny goes from amicable to downright furious in about .2 seconds, which may be a new record for him. “I thought we burned those!”

“Well, I made copies first, of course.”

“Why would you do that?” Danny screams, pulling at his hair, gaping at Rachel and her nonchalant demeanor.

“Well, I figured the burning part was symbolic. You didn’t honestly think I’d let you destroy the only copies?” She says, with an amused laugh.

“Where are they?”

Rachel laughs. “I don’t think so.”

“God damn it, Rachel, I’m gonna kill you!”

“Do it later, we’ve got movement,” Steve says, bursting into the room and shutting down any and all further conversation they could possibly want to have.

But Danny is still going to kill Rachel. He’s sure Steve knows a couple good places to bury a body where even Stan and his money won’t find it.


End file.
